We All Go Down, Sooner Or Later

One of the very first things I was told when I started riding that when it comes to crashing, 

"It's not a matter of IF, it's WHEN..."

Sounds scary, I know, but not all crashes are bad. I've probably had about 2 or 3 "Zero Mile Per Hour" crashes in the past 5 months. You know, the ones where you slow down at a red light and think that you don't need to unclip because the lights about to turn green but it doesn't and you take a leaning dive for the curb? Yeah, I've been there.

For those of you that know me, or have been into H&S Bicycles in Burbank and seen their trophy "Wreck Relics" Wall of Fame (not shame, I take pride in my crash!), you've probably seen my jersey and heard about my crash.

I was finishing up a training ride from The Observatory back down into Griffith Park. The last hill is a wide open road with a few curves in it that I have rode many, many times (and if you are a local and watch Sons of Anarchy, you'll know this spot well).  I had each turn memorized and it was one of my favorite spots to test my limits. So, I set myself up and started my decent. There was another cyclist in front of me and I realized I was coming up behind him quickly. I changed my course and immediately after doing so I saw a HUGE pothole right in my path. I panicked. Simple as that. I panicked and made a rookie mistake, grabbing my brakes as hard as I could. Well the good news is my brakes worked, perhaps a little too well because the bike came to a stop and I didn't. Next thing I know, I am gazing out of my Oakley Jawbone Sunglasses (custom white and blue to match my bike of course) and everything is upside down. Well, this can't be good. To be honest, I am quite proud of how I dismounted myself from the bike. My feet became unclipped from my Speed Play clipless pedals instantly (I know that's a fear for many, but don't let it be) and I did a forward tumble like roll off the front. I managed to not hit my head at all but got some road rash from my right shoulder down to my left ankle.

When the motion stopped and I realized what happened, I jumped up and grabbed my iphone, which had flown a little further downhill than myself. HUGE shout out to Otterbox. I have the slim Reflex Series case and my phone didn't have a single scratch on it, despite flying through the air and landing screen down on pavement. I dusted my shirt off (only really noticing the tear in my jersey on my right shoulder at first) and grabbed my bike. I jumped on, only to realize the derailleur was broke and my boob was hanging out (not literally but that would have been funny; My Target C9 Champion Seamless Cami sports bra held up and the girls were safely intact). My friends came around looking for me and my nurse friend (I am so glad I was riding with her that day) decided to call 911 to have me checked out. We'd been riding for 2 hours and it was already 100 degrees out. Nothing appeared to be broken but she wanted to be sure. The plus side to this was that I got to spend my latter morning with some hot LAFD firemen, which isn't a bad thing whatsoever. At the hospital I got checked out and had my road rash cleaned. BY FAR this was the only time during the whole day that I cried and screamed. The crash itself didn't hurt that much, it was the stinging, burning sensation of the rash, coupled with the nurse scrubbing it clean with what felt like a Brillo pad. Rob got there just in time to take the brunt of the cursing and screaming. Bless his heart for putting up with my less than pleasant demeanor.

My jersey. Perhaps a prototype for a ladies jersey complete with breathing room for our ta-tas?

Apparently I tucked and tumbled to the right, I was going for an "off-the-shoulder" kind of look.
I don't think it worked.

Road Rash is Bad Ass (a Cyclist's Badge of Honor)

All cleaned up and ready to go, I asked Rob if he brought me some clothes. This is when sending (or bringing) a woman to the hospital to collect me would have been a good idea. Rob showed up empty handed. I love him for being there when I needed him and for taking care of me, it's just these are things some guys just don't think about. 

At the scene of my amazing 10.0 Olympic dismount, Rob took my jersey and the hunky firemen cut the front of my FAVORITE Pearl Izumi Sugar Shorts. So I was just hanging out in my bra and half cut shorts, oh and the shoes had to come off because I ride on SpeedPlay and the cleats are on the outside of the shoe (not recessed) making them harder to walk in. The hospital was nice enough to give me neon yellow grip socks and a gown, but I am pretty sure I looked like a mess wandering out of the hospital alone, half dressed with massive helmet head while Rob fetched the car.

Now that you have read this whole story you are probably wondering why on earth I shared my darker cycling experience. It's not to scare you and nor should you be. All I could think about after the crash was how soon could I get back on the bike. My body and my bike needed some healing time, and I took it. But I knew I had to get right back out there. I would be lying if I said my crash didn't affect me. But I learned from it. I have become more cautious and am taking things a little slower until I feel I have put in the miles and built up my skill level. We all should be cautious and aware when we ride, and be patient if you are just starting out. It might be a little longer until I feel at complete ease going downhill at 32 miles per hour again but the most important thing is that I didn't give up and that I continue to ride, strengthening my skills each day to be better, faster, and stronger.

I'll leave you with this my Lady Pedalers... when you do crash, DO NOT take Road Rash wound care advice from a male cyclist. They will tell you to let it dry out and scab. Sure, if you want scars to remember your crash by you could follow their advice. I sure didn't. Keep those wounds clean and moist. Once you've done the initial scrub out, put some Neosporin on the wound, cover with a piece of Tegaderm (it's a fake skin like bandage that covers the wound but doesn't stick to it) and let them heal (changing the bandages regularly of course). Once the wounds have closed up, rub a little vitamin E oil or lotion on it for good measure.

Pedal on Ladies and ride safe!